The Great Pyramid of Giza, also known as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, is the oldest out of the three pyramids. Believed to be built as a tomb for Pharoah Khufu, the pyramid stood tall at originally 146 meters (480 feet). Unfortunately over time, the pyramid has lost about 10 meters in height.

A monument that has been able to stand the test of time. An estimated 4,500 years. But what would happen if one was to attempt to recreate this wonder of the world. Would labor, time and cost be much different respective to the times?

The NYU Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, states that building the pyramids would have an estimated cost of around one billion dollars. The original pyramids were thought to be built somewhere in between 14 to 20 years. They have an estimated amount of 2.3 million stone blocks weighing an average of somewhere in between 2.5 to 15 tons each. According to Indiana Limestone Company, one ton of limestone would cost $900. Assuming each brick was 2.5 tons that would cost $2250 dollars per brick. Multiplied by the estimated 2.3 million blocks, the total limestone cost would be $5,175,000,000. NYU is off. That’s not even taking into account the cost of labor.

It is believed to be that slaves originally built the pyramids but according to National Geographic, skeletal remains claim that untrue. Skeletons show that the builders were “Egyptians who lived in villages developed and overseen by the pharoah’s supervisors.” If workers were believed to set a block every two and a half minutes, it would still take about 20 years to complete in today’s time even with all the new technology.